New Avalanche assistant general manager Chris MacFarland told The Denver Post he would work alongside Craig Billington and Greg Sherman under GM Joe Sakic and head coach/hockey operations director Patrick Roy. It appears MacFarland will be Sakic’s day-to-day understudy, but the dynamics of it all is still in the works.

“My role from what I have been told is heavy on the pro side and assisting Joe Sakic and complimenting the pro staff,” MacFarland said Monday night. “Craig (Billington) is a good friend of mine and does a great job, and runs the AHL side. I’m looking forward to getting in there and doing whatever they ask me to do.”

Patrick Roy, left, the new head coach/vice president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche, smiles as he stands for a photo opportunity with Joe Sakic, the team’s executive vice president of hockey operations, following an NHL hockey news conference Tuesday May 28, 2013, in Denver. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Avalanche coach Patrick Roy’s right-hand man, defensive coach Andre Tourigny, and video coach Mario Duhamel will both be replaced next season. Tourigny is seeking a head coaching position and Duhamel wants to get back behind the bench, an Avs spokesman said Monday night.

Tourigny resigned and Duhamel was given permission to seek another coaching opportunity, the Avs said.

Assistant coach Tim Army, who was a holdover from coach Joe Sacco’s staff, remains with Roy and is under contract for next season. Army has coached the forwards under Roy’s two-year reign. Tourigny has been responsible for the D. Duhamel skates with the team but is not on the bench.

The Avs obviously have a problem with shots-against and getting hemmed in their zone. But Tourigny should not be seen as “runner” or scapegoat. At every practice I attended, play stopped when Roy had something to say — and usually he was running the D-zone drills.

Bottom line: Colorado’s defense is why Colorado’s offense didn’t have sufficient attack time in 2014-15, but that does not excuse a bad power play for being bad.

Chris MacFarland, assistant general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets, is joining the Avalanche in the same capacity. I got word of the move from a source in Columbus, and it was confirmed by Avs vice president Jean Martineau. MacFarland is from Bronx, N.Y., and joined the Blue Jackets in 1999. He was named assistant GM in 2008, and last season worked with co-assistant GM Bill Zito under GM Jarmo Kekalainen.

MacFarland is reportedly friends with Adam Foote, the a former Blue Jackets defenseman who is Colorado’s volunteer defensive specialist.

The Avs already have two assistant GMs in Craig Billington and Greg Sherman, who work under GM Joe Sakic and coach/VP hockey operations Patrick Roy, and Martineau said Billington and Sherman will remain with the organization.

“No subsequent moves,” Martineau said in a text. “Just an addition to the hockey operations staff.”

I formal announcement is forthcoming.

The Blue Jackets just put out the following release, without saying where MacFarland is going:

Chris MacFarland, a long-time member of the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey operations staff, is leaving the organization after 16 years of service, Blue Jackets General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced today.

“Chris MacFarland has been an important member of this organization for many years and his contributions to our hockey club have been significant,” said Kekalainen. “He has been presented with an exciting opportunity outside our organization and while we are sorry to see him leave, we thank Chris for his years of service, hard work and commitment to the Blue Jackets and wish him and his family all the best in the future.”

MacFarland originally joined the Blue Jackets in 1999 and served as the club’s manager of hockey operations from 2001-07. He was promoted to assistant to the general manager in July 2007 and a year later was named the club’s assistant general manager.

With the Blue Jackets, MacFarland assisted the club in all hockey-related matters including scouting, player contract research and negotiations, salary cap management and arbitration, collective bargaining agreement administration, budgeting and team scheduling issues. He also oversaw hockey operations efforts of the club’s minor league affiliates.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) looks at the scoreboard after the New York Rangers scored in overtime to win Game 5 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Friday, April 24, 2015, in New York. The Rangers advanced to the second round after winning 2-1. (Julie Jacobson, The Associated Press)

The Pittsburgh Penguins are going to need a med kit after the burn Discovery Channel gave them Thursday.

Discovery tweeted out a fact about the average height of emperor penguins, in which the Penguins replied with the average height of their players.

Discovery responded with the fact that there is “no Penguin activity currently on ice in Pittsburgh,” a reference to the New York Rangers ousting them in the first round of the NHL playoffs.

Forward Ryan O’Reilly (L) of Canada shoots to score past goalkeeper Kevin Lalande of Belarus during the quarter final match Canada vs. Belarus at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships on May 14, 2015 at the O2 Arena in Prague. (Jonathan Nackstrand, Getty Images)

Goalie Reto Berra is the first Avalanche player at the 2015 World Championship to be eliminated from the tournament. Berra and Team Switzerland lost 3-1 to the United States in Thursday’s quarterfinal play in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The other six Avs from Canada (Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly, Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Barrie), the United States (Zach Redmond) and the Czech Republic (Jan Hejda) are advancing to Saturday’s semifinals

Matt Duchene of Canada is defended by Jonathan Ericsson of Sweden during the first period of the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Sochi Winter Olympics on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014 at Bolshoy Ice Arena. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

Avalanche center Matt Duchene had two goals and four points in Canada’s 10-1 victory over Austria on Tuesday at the 2015 World Championship in the Czech Republic. Among all scorers, Duchene is tied with linemate Jason Spezza, Sweden’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Russia’s Yevgeni Dadonov with 11 points in seven games. Duchene has four goals and is plus-8. The Avs’ Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie also scored against Austria, and Colorado’s Ryan O’Reilly had an assist. Barrie is tied for a tournament-leading plus-9.

Canada (7-0) won Group A and faces Belarus (4-3) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The United States (6-1) won Group B after Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime win over Slovakia and will play Switzerland (2-5) in Thursday’s final eight. Avs defenseman Zach Redmond only played about five minutes against Slovakia but produced an assist.

Your best on-site Avalanche-related news from the WC can be found at Eurolanche.

Avs goalie Reto Berra has played in four of seven games for Switzerland but has the worst numbers of any puck-stopper in the tournament (3.57 GAA, .876 save percentage). However, it sounded like he was pretty good in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Czech Republic and Avs defenseman Jan Hejda, who played 16 minutes. Berra had 27 saves and got his tires pumped afterward.

Adam Foote’s two sons, Callan and Nolan, were drafted by major-junior’s Kelowna Rockets, and Cal sign with the Western Hockey League team on Monday. He was also considering the University of Denver. Adam Foote and Pioneers coach Jim Montgomery are close friends.

Cal, 16, is a great-skating defenseman. He is 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, a size-16 shoe and wears a size 13 skate, and eligible for the 2017 NHL draft. He played for the U16 (National) Colorado Thunderbirds this season. Nolan Foote, who was drafted by Kelowna last week, played for the U14 Thunderbirds, in which his dad was head coach.

Dominic Turgeon, the only son of former Avalanche forward Pierre Turgeon — a truly legendary man — has signed his entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings. Dominic was selected by Detroit in the third round (63rd overall) in the 2014 NHL draft. He played the last three seasons for the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League, producing 18 goals and 43 points in 67 games in 2014-15.

Pierre was drafted No. 1 overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 1987 and finished with 515 goals, the final 20 with the Avs. His Hockey Hall of Fame candidacy is backed by a world-class personality and respect throughout North America.

Dominic Turgeon, right, with his sisters and parents, Pierre and Elisabeth. (Photo courtesy of Turgeon family)

Dominic played for the Littleton Hawks and Colorado Thunderbirds during and after his father’s two-season stint with the Avalanche ending in 2007. Pierre and Elisabeth Turgeon still live in the Denver area and Pierre is active in the hockey community.

They are a beautiful family that overcame extreme tragedy in 2010 when Elizabeth Turgeon, 18, died in a New Mexico traffic accident before beginning her hockey career at the University of Minnesota. Elizabeth was survived by her twin sister, Alexandra, a former standout University of Denver volleyball player, Dominic and younger sister, Valerie, who also plays hockey.

Honored to have signed with the @DetroitRedWings! Would like to thank everyone who has helped me get to where I am today!

Keep ’em coming. Avalanche fan Mark Lilley received substantial feedback on Twitter on his third-jersey idea — something the team might consider when building a special sweater for the Feb. 27, 2016 NHL Stadium Series game against the Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field.

I’m a big fan of Mark’s logo — it still looks like an “A” but embodies the NHL history in Colorado, with the old Rockies. It’s like Winnipeg — the Jets lose their team but get another and stay true to their roots. The baseball team nabbed the “Rockies,” which is probably why the NHL team is the Avalanche, and not the Rockies, but Mark’s logo takes us back to the original Rockies. Good stuff.

Solid NHL.com story about Arizona-raised phenom Auston Matthews, who is the Connor McDavid of the 2016 NHL draft. Matthews, 17, was born two days after 2015 draft cutoff date, otherwise he would be picked no worse than third in this June’s draft that has McDavid undoubtedly going No. 1 to the Edmonton Oilers.

In the linked story, Matthews said he has spoken to Boston University freshman Jack Eichel — the likely No. 2 pick in June — about the benefits of doing a one-year NCAA stint and playing against men, opposed to the U20 major junior. In college, Matthews would have more off-ice training with older teammates. At major-junior, he would play more games with like teenagers.

Matthews is considering the University of Denver, Michigan, Boston University and Boston College, North Dakota, and Wisconsin has been added to the NCAA list. His Canadian Hockey League draft rights are owned by the WHL’s Everett Silvertips.

Matthews is currently with the U.S. National Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., and coming off an MVP performance at the U18 World Championship, where the Americans won the gold.

From what I’m hearing, Matthews will likely choose major-junior. But DU and Michigan are the NCAA frontrunners if he goes the NCAA route. Matthews grew up in Scottsdale, Ariz., and buddies with DU senior wing Zac Larraza, a USNDP graduate. And the Pioneers return two of the most electrifying wingers in the country in Trevor Moore and Danton Heinen, and they happen to be in need of a center with the graduation of Danny Doremus.

The Pioneers announced Monday that they’ll play their Feb. 20 game next season against rival Colorado College at Coors Field, host of the 2016 NHL Stadium Series game between the Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 27. Nice recruiting pitch there.

I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to play for DU coach Jim Montgomery, and recruiting coordinator David Carle, 25, is an excellent point man.

Eichel, the 2015 Hobey Baker Award winner, grew up in Massachusetts and followed through with his age 15 commitment to BU. And he had a great season. Eichel surely wants Matthews to sign with the Terriers, but I continually hear DU or Michigan could win the NCAA lottery.

“We’ve had that conversation and Jack gave me his spiel but in the end said it’s what will make me happy and where I want to play, where I believe I fit in and can develop most as a player,” Matthews said. “I’ll sit down with my family and figure it out.”

Working Broncos/NFL draft this weekend. I met third-round Denver draftee Jeff Heuerman, the tight end from Ohio State. He’s 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, with 6 percent body fat. Impressive young guy who used to play triple-A hockey in Florida and Michigan. Heuerman moved to Detroit as an eighth-grader to play for powerhouse Compuware, but missed his family — particularly two younger brothers — and chose to start playing football in Florida instead of chasing his dream to play major-junior in the Ontario Hockey League.

He’s flourished on the gridiron, obviously, but man, he would make one nasty power forward right now if he stuck with hockey. He said he was a centerman before his “growth spurt” turned him into a man-child in high school at Naples, Fla.

University of Denver defenseman Patrick Weircioch, now playing for the Ottawa Senators and Canada’s 2015 Worlds team, celebrates a goal with Joe Colborne, now with the Calgary Flames. Denver media photo

Former University of Denver standout Patrick Wiercioch of the Ottawa Senators has joined Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh) and Dan Hamhuis (Vancouver) for Team Canada’s World Championship team after their NHL teams were ousted in the first round of the playoffs. The Avalanche has four players on the team in forwards Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly, Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Tyson Barrie.

Wiercioch, 24, is the only Canadian on the 23-man roster to have played NCAA hockey. He was a healthy scratch when the Avalanche played at Ottawa last fall but finished as the Senators’ No. 2 D-man behind Erik Karlsson. In Monday’s Game 7 loss to Montreal, Wiercioch logged 23:53, including 4:30 on the power play — second highest behind Karlsson (32:11, 8:00).

The 6-foot-5 Wiercioch, from Maple Ridge, B.C., is under contract next season at $2.7 million before becoming a restricted free agent. At this rate, he will likely break the bank in his ensuing UFA years. He has great hands and vision to go along with his excellent skating ability for a big man.

Wiercioch was dominant at DU as a true freshman in 2008-09, producing 12 goals and 35 points in 39 games. He signed with Ottawa after a similarly good sophomore season; the Sens selected him in the second round (42nd overall) in the 2008 draft. Weircioch’s story is interesting because, he originally committed to Wisconsin, but the Badgers were stocked at D and asked him to play another year of junior-A. Denver originally recruited him, and eventually signed him after David Carle was diagnosed with a deadly heart defect at the NHL scouting combine and was forced to retire. Wiercioch recognized DU’s loss and made the call to then-coach George Gwozdecky that eventually brought him to Denver. Wiercioch became an All-American and Carle is now DU’s No. 1 assistant coach under Jim Montgomery.

Jan Hejda likely played his final game with the Avalanche, but the 36-year-old defenseman still has some International Ice Hockey Federation play left in him, and he’ll skate at the upcoming World Championship in his native Czech Republic with a letter on his chest. Hejda on Monday was named alternate captain of the host country’s national team, along with the New Jersey Devils’ Jaromir Jagr. Jakub Voracek of the Philadelphia Flyers was named captain.

Hejda played in 81-of-82 games for the Avs last season, often on the top pairing. But he’s an unrestricted free agent July 1, and given that Colorado has six-of-eight D under contract next season — and the off-season goal is to get better back there — it’s highly unlikely he will be resigned by the Avs.

But it’s good to see Hejda return to his roots. He played in the Czech Republic from 1997 to 2006, incuding four World Championships, before joining the NHL. Hejda also represented his country in Worlds in 2008 and 2013, plus the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. He joined the Avalanche to begin the 2011-12 season.

Hejda declined to play in the 2014 Olympics because of a beef with the head coach, but a different guy is now in charge. Our friends at Eurolanche have the details.

Mike Peluso (Hibbing, Minn.) and Mike Peluso (Bismarck, N.D.) were both NHL 10th-round draft choices who began their careers with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Minnesotan, however, had a much more illustrious NHL career (458 games to 38) and is now paying for it.

At age 49, Peluso has joined the concussion lawsuit against the NHL, and his story is frightening. Here’s a quote from that Globe and Mail link, about postgame after being knocked out on the ice:

In the locker room I took multiple showers, because I kept forgetting that I had already showered. However, the team quickly cleared me to play despite signs of a serious concussion. A few weeks later, I experienced a grand mal seizure during a workout.

Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog and teammates John Mitchell and Jarome Iginla and assistant trainer Scott Woodward attended Friday’s 25th Shaka Franklin Foundation luncheon at the downtown Marriott City Center. Landeskog declined to play for Sweden at the upcoming World Championship because of a wrist injury, and he indeed had surgery. Landy posed for pictures with his soft-casted left arm behind him and, like a typical hockey player, he didn’t want to say much about the injury.

Meanwhile, Avalanche GM Joe Sakic, through a team spokesman, said he will meet with The Post in the coming weeks about drafting 10th in the June NHL draft, along with other items. The team declined to confirm or deny rumors it has signed forward Andreas Martinsen of Norway, an undrafted free agent of the Borna Rendulic and Dennis Everberg ilk. Stay tuned.

Colorado center Matt Duchene skates during practice at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post)

My Tuesday skate was switched from South Suburban Ice Arena to sister Family Sports Center and, although I was late, I ran into exhausted University of Denver sophomore goalie Evan Cowley. The Evergreen product had just finished skating with Avalanche forwards Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Tyson Barrie, plus Philadelphia Flyers forward Brayden Schenn. The NHLers are training to compete for Team Canada at the Czech Republic-hosted World Championship beginning May 1, along with Avs forward Ryan O’Reilly.

Good to know MacKinnon, who missed the last five weeks of the NHL season with a fractured foot, is still skating after beginning his on-ice recovery a day before the season finale.

Don’t read too much into Schenn’s participation — the 23-year-old is under contract next season at $2.75 million, before becoming a possible restricted free agent. Schenn does have some history with Avalanche players. He was a Saskatoon Blades teammate with Avalanche D-prospects Stefan Elliott and Duncan Siemens in 2010-11, after being traded from the the Brandon Wheat Kings. Schenn was selected No. 5 overall by Los Angeles in the 2009 NHL draft, two spots behind Duchene, and was part of that big 2012 trade with Philly that sent Mike Richards and Jeff Carter to the Kings.

Future first-ballot Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla was worth every penny in the first year of his three-year, $16 million contract with the Avalanche. Sunday’s NHL column took a large trim but can be found here.

Colorado retained it’s No. 10 pick, and won’t likely trade it. Typically, the 10th pick will take 1-3 years before being NHL-ready, so it’s hard to tell if the Avs will draft based on immediate needs (defensemen) or what they foresee down the road with expiring contracts, etc.

When I watched the draft lottery Saturday night and Edmonton won the “golden ticket,” I immediately thought of Joey LaLeggia, the two-time NCAA All-American defenseman from the University of Denver who recently signed with Edmonton. LaLeggia is the NCAA’s best out-going defenseman and McDavid is the NHL’s top incoming major-junior player. The Oilers haven’t been good in drafting outside the first round, but they picked a gem in LaLeggia (123rd overall in 2012) and McDavid is viewed as the NHL’s best prospect since Sidney Crosby in 2005.

“It’s an exciting time for everyone involved in the organization,” LaLeggia wrote me in a text message. “Getting the opportunity to play with a generational player like Connor McDavid is definitely something that I will use as motivation going into this summer of training, and it would be truly special to get to play with him in Edmonton in the future.”

LaLeggia and McDavid are going to light it up offensively, along with fellow No. 1 overall picks Taylor Hall (2010) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011) and 2008 first-rounder Jordan Eberle. The Edmonton future for Nail Yakupov (No. 1 in 2012) is cloudy, and the Oilers’ D is poor, but LaLeggia and Justin Schultz, 24, are outstanding puck-moving D to build around. LaLeggia is DU’s best defenseman since Matt Carle of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2006 and LaLeggia finished third all-time among DU blue-liners in goals (49) and points (132).

He was named National Collegiate Hockey Conference player of the year, defenseman of the year and offensive-defenseman off the year.

LaLeggia, 22, had a goal and two points in five games with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons while finishing the regular season on a amateur tryout (ATO) contract. LaLeggia’s two-year, entry-level contract kicks in next season. OKC opens the AHL playoffs against the San Antonio Rampage — the Avalanche’s new minor-league affiliate — on Thursday in Oklahoma.

Redmond’s story is remarkable. He suffered a stroke as a youth and severed his femoral artery at a morning skate with the Winnipeg Jets. Both times, doctors told him there was a 50/50 chance he could resume his hockey career. Nice to see him don the Red, White and Blue — his first opportunity with USA Hockey.

USA’s U18 World Championship team got five points from University of Denver recruit Auston Matthews — widely considered the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL draft — plus another goal by Pioneers incoming freshman Troy Terry of Highlands Ranch in beating Slovakia 10-0 on Friday in the Swiss-hosted tournament. Matthews, in a lot of ways, is the American version of Connor McDavid. Don’t scoff — the Arizona product, 17, just broke Patrick Kane’s U18 record for points by an American. Matthews is drafted by Everett of the WHL and is also considering North Dakota, Michigan, Boston College and Boston University for his one-year stint, similar to what Jack Eichel did this season at BU. Matthews missed the 2015 draft cutoff date by two days (he was born Sept. 17).

Here’s the website for the Avalanche’s new American Hockey League affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. The five-year contract with the clubs begins next season. The Avalanche produced the following news release Friday (I continue to get asked the obvious: yes, all Lake Erie Monsters players under contract with the Avalanche will relocate in San Antonio, and all Rampage players under contract with the Florida Panthers will relocate to their new AHL affiliate in Portland, Maine):

“We are pleased to announce this new affiliation with San Antonio,” said Avalanche Executive Vice President/General Manager Joe Sakic. “The Rampage organization has a great reputation and we look forward to our prospects developing in such an environment.”

The Lake Erie Monsters in Cleveland have served as Colorado’s AHL affiliate for the past eight seasons dating back to 2007-08. Prior to that, the Avs split an AHL affiliate with the Carolina Hurricanes for two years, spending the 2006-07 campaign in Albany, N.Y. (Albany River Rats) and 2005-06 in Lowell, Mass. (Lowell Lock Monsters). The Cornwall Aces (Cornwall, Ontario) served as the club’s primary affiliate during the Avalanche’s inaugural season of 1995-96, followed by 10 years with the Hershey Bears in Hershey, Pa. (1996-2005).

Now in their 13th season, the Rampage are one of four professional sports franchises owned and operated by Spurs Sports & Entertainment, along with the San Antonio Spurs (NBA), San Antonio Stars (WNBA) and the Austin Spurs (NBA Development League). The Rampage play their games at the SS&E operated AT&T Center.

“We are excited to announce that the Colorado Avalanche will be our new NHL affiliate starting with the 2015-16 season,” said Spurs Sports & Entertainment President Rick Pych. “Under the leadership of two terrific Hockey Hall-of-Famers in Joe Sakic and [Head Coach/VP of Hockey Operations] Patrick Roy, the Avalanche are committed to developing the same type of great young hockey players that have led Colorado to two Stanley Cup championships.”

The Avalanche will be San Antonio’s third NHL affiliate in the club’s 13-year history. The Rampage have been the top affiliate of the Florida Panthers since the 2011-12 season and were also affiliated with the Panthers from 2002-05. San Antonio spent six years (2005-11) as the top affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes.

Goalie Yann Danis #35 of the Oklahoma City Barons defends the shot attempt by David van der Gulik #7 of the Lake Erie Monsters as Monsters’ Tyson Barrie #41 looks on during their game on October 12, 2012 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Monsters defeated the Barons 2-1. (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images)

Lake Erie is in the AHL’s Midwest Division and San Antonio plays out of the West Division, along with the Texas Stars, Oklahoma City Barons, Charlotte Checkers and Iowa Wild.

Avs general manager Joe Sakic told The Post earlier this season the club’s contract with Lake Erie is through next season (2015-16). It appears the Blue Jackets, whose current affiliate is the Springfield (Mass.) Falcons, have taken over that contract and the Avs have signed with “free agent” San Antonio, which is being abandoned by the Florida Panthers.

The Panthers have signed an agreement with the Portland Pirates, and the Pirates’ former NHL affiliate, the Arizona Coyotes, will move to Springfield.

Lucky for the Avalanche, its attendance figures for this season didn’t match the sharp drop in its record.

Colorado, which finished 39-31-12 and will miss the playoffs after going 52-22-8 last season, had an average of 16,177 fans attend home games at the Pepsi Center, down only slightly from 16,292 in 2013-14, a 0.7 percent drop.

The Avs had the third-lowest total attendance among Western Conference teams (663,247) in 2014-15, with the stands at Pepsi Center at only 89.8 percent capacity.

The Blackhawks had the largest total home attendance in the West (892,532), while the Stars posted the biggest leap from last year, at 12.5 percent.

Matt Duchene of Canada is defended by Jonathan Ericsson of Sweden during the first period of the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Sochi Winter Olympics on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014 at Bolshoy Ice Arena. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

The Stanley Cup playoffs begin Wednesday night! Being a fan of the game is nice and all, but I’d rather be working …

This news was known but became official Tuesday, when I was taking some time off: Avalanche forwards Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly and Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Tyson Barrie will represent Canada when the Czech Republic-hosted World Championship begins May 1 in Ostrava and Prague. MacKinnon, who hasn’t played a game since March 4 and resumed skating last week, might not be ready to go for the opener against Latvia.

Avs captain/left wing Gabe Landeskog apparently won’t play for Sweden, likely because of a wrist ailment, and Colorado defenseman Erik Johnson was not named to Team USA’s preliminary 16-player roster, which features four NCAA players and two from Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. Johnson’s knee problem forced him to miss every Avs game since Jan. 21.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.